Chapter 387: There is no running away

’A few things I want to clear up, System. I can go back whenever I wish to. Right?’

Luke asked with narrowed eyes. He needed to know whether the system had gone back on its word about not forcing him into anything.

[You can, Host. However, if humanity is destroyed, you will not only lose your final rewards, but you will also have to restart the dungeon from level one.]

"...."

Yeah, that was bad news.

Luke had actually been looking forward to the next level. If his guess was correct, he would be allowed to explore more of this world and perhaps even encounter the other races that inhabited it.

After a brief pause, he asked, ’What exactly do you want me to do here? Even under the moon, I couldn’t fight an entire army of dragons on my own.’

He knew his own strength and had never been foolish enough to overestimate himself.

The dragons were coming in numbers. There was no doubt about that. After all, sheer numbers were the only thing capable of breaking the ritual that had protected humanity for so long.

The anomalous event of a baby dragon crossing the boundary had given them the excuse they needed to shatter the border itself and eradicate the one race they deemed an unnecessary existence.

And Luke knew that while the humans of this world were considerably stronger than those from his original world, they were still far too weak to stand against an army of dragons.

’Just for confirmation, what are the average stats of a dragon?’

[Somewhere around one-fifty in their human form.]

"...."

Luke was stunned into silence.

For a moment, he genuinely wondered whether the system was joking.

Their human forms were supposedly their weaker state, yet even then, their average stats were roughly a hundred points higher than his.

That was simply ridiculous.

’How am I supposed to fight an army of world-destroying, fire-breathing mammoths?’

He wasn’t panicking.

Or maybe he was.

Either way, it was a perfectly valid reaction from someone who had been torn away from his family without warning and thrown into a world standing on the brink of annihilation.

[Host, not all wars are won through strength alone.]

[Quest: Find the Middleman]

[Note: Location has been marked on the map.]

[Time: 2 hours]

The map opened before his eyes.

Luke exhaled slowly.

So this was going to be a strategic war, huh?

It also made perfect sense that the system wanted him to meet the Middleman. Apparently, the man knew nearly everything happening in this world somehow, which made him one of the few people Luke could rely on for information.

’Truthfully, I’ve been rather eager to meet him myself.’

He studied the marked location with narrowed eyes.

Then his eyes widened.

’The hell? He’s on the other side of the Wall?’

[Indeed, Host. The Middleman has the authority to visit any realm without restriction. The Host need not worry, as the Ritual prohibits the residents of this world from crossing to the other side. However, the Host does not belong to this realm.]

Luke gave a wry smile.

’Have you forgotten? That Wall is more than a hundred fucking feet tall.’

[The System Shop contains equipment capable of climbing the Wall.]

Luke had lost count of how many times the system had left him speechless today.

And this enthusiasm...

’Aren’t you being a little too biased toward humanity? I mean, I share the sentiment, but shouldn’t you remain impartial?’

[The System merely wishes for the safety of every major race in the world. As for the favor toward humanity that the Host mentioned, humanity possesses the highest potential to evolve and adapt.]

’Hmm.’

That was true.

Not that Luke would have changed his mind even if the system had given him a different answer.

He would follow the quest’s demands and continue this venture for as long as his own life remained out of immediate danger.

His life came first.

That took priority above everything else.

"Luke," Grella called out as she entered the hut.

He turned and found her standing there with a pot in her hands.

"Here. Eat something."

Luke nodded and helped her set down the earthen pot. Inside was an entire chicken cooked alongside an assortment of vegetables.

The rich aroma filled the hut, stirring his appetite almost instantly.

"Come on, share the meal with me." Luke encouraged her as he rolled up his sleeves.

Grella offered him a faint smile and shook her head. "I’m fine. You should eat."

He didn’t need to be told twice. He had skipped lunch back at his place and was considerably hungrier than he had realized.

"It’s a shame that the first time you visited our tribe, things had to be like this." Grella’s voice carried a trace of sadness. "There are so many things and so many people I wanted to show you."

Luke chewed through a piece of tender meat before asking, "What’s the chief’s take on all this?"

"He..." Grella hesitated briefly. "He says we need to end this battle today. We have to go all out and show them how much we’ve changed. That we’re no longer the people who need to cower away."

It was a foolish choice, especially coming from the head of the tribe.

However, Luke kept that thought to himself.

He simply hummed and asked, "And how are the people reacting?"

Grella shook her head.

"The women are weeping and worried. The men are fired up and sharpening their tools."

Luke rolled his eyes. The best chance of survival was neither fighting nor running. Still, perhaps abandoning the tribe and fleeing into the wilderness would at least ensure that some humans survived.

[Host, dragons can smell fear, and the forest itself answers to them. Fleeing may only delay the inevitable.]

’Yeah, yeah. I get it.’

Still chewing on the meat, Luke added, ’I’ll do what I can.’

~~~

A/N:- Thanks for reading. Check my new story, I will update it regularly from now on. And join my discord too.